Gargoylz Get Up to Mischief (6 page)

Ben nodded. “Right, Agent Black.”

“Then our mission is to swap it for something stupid and girly.” Max grinned. “When he gets it out to show everyone he’ll be dead embarrassed.”

“Good plan!” breathed Ben. “And I know just the thing – my sister Arabella’s ballet tutu. It’s all pink and frilly and
horrible
. It’s in her ballet bag. Only one problem,” he added with a frown. “The bag is in the girls’ cloakroom and boys are not allowed in there. If we get caught we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I know someone who can help us with that!” said Max, nodding up at the roof.

“Toby!” exclaimed Ben as their gargoyle friend waved at them from a gutter. “He could fly in through the cloakroom window and get it for us, no problem.”

Making sure no one was looking, the boys sauntered over towards Toby.

“Greetingz!” called Toby chirpily.

“Hi, Toby,” Max called back. “Want to help with a trick?”

Toby’s yellow eyes lit up and his dragon tail swished. “A trick?” he said eagerly. “A prank? Dangling drainpipes! Tell me all about it!”

Max gave Toby his instructions for Secret Plan: Tutu. Chuckling, the little gargoyle zoomed off to the girls’ cloakroom window. In a flash he was back with Arabella’s pink tutu in his paws.

“I can hardly bear to touch it, it’s so girly,” declared Max, pulling a disgusted face. “It’s lucky all the school rucksacks look the same. We’ll swap my bag for Barry’s.” He stuffed the tutu in his bag.

“There’s one thing we haven’t thought of,” said Ben. “How are we going to stop The Basher seeing when we swap them round? It’s not much of a trick if he catches us at it!” “Can I join in?” Theo’s stripy head popped up over the gutter. “Maybe I’ll manage a tiger this time.”

“No, we need a kitten,” cried Ben, “for Secret Plan: Kitten Diversion. Agent Black, do you remember when that big black cat jumped through the window of our classroom last term? Everyone went all gooey and Miss Bleet forgot to give us any maths homework. Think what would happen if a sweet little tabby kitten came in instead. No one would see us making the bag switch then.”

“I like your thinking, Agent Neal,” said Max. “Listen, Theo, we’ve got a trick to play this afternoon and we need everyone to be looking at you while we’re setting it up.”

A broad grin spread over Theo’s whiskery face. “What do I have to do?” he asked, almost falling off the roof in excitement.

“We need you to come in through our classroom window this afternoon,” said Max. “While everyone’s looking at you, we’ll swap The Basher’s bag with the one that has the frilly pink tutu in it. All the class will laugh when he gets it out.”

“Serve the bully right,” said Toby.

“I can do that!” cried Theo.

Just then the bell rang.

“Right!” said Max. “I’ll leave a window open for you this afternoon. Come in as soon as we start the lesson. When we’ve swapped the bags, I’ll say the password and
you
can skedaddle.”

“Yes, sir!” Theo sat up proudly. “What’s the password?”

“Tiddles,” said Max.

Straight after register it was time for Hobbies Talk. The other class in their year group came in, led by Barry.

“Shove up!” he said nastily, pushing a row of girls out of the way.

“Quick,” Max whispered to Ben. “Go and grab us a couple of seats behind The Basher. I’ll open a window. I hope Theo remembers what to do.”

Max joined Ben in the row behind the bully. Barry turned and smirked at the boys.

“I’m looking forward to your talk, Ben,” he sneered. “What’s it about? Oh yes, I remember. Nothing!”

“Quiet please,” came a quavery voice.

Max’s spy radar snapped into action:
short
and dumpy, limp brown hair, silly half-moon glasses. It was Enemy Agent Miss Bleet, codename: Wimpy Teacher.

“Welcome to Hobbies Talk,” Miss Bleet said feebly. “Lucinda, you start.”

There was a groan as Lucinda Tellingly marched up to the front clutching her huge collection of plastic ponies.

“I hope Theo comes in soon,” muttered Max. “I can’t bear to hear much of this.”

“These are my special horses,” Lucinda began to coo. “They all have names and— Oooh, look at the darling kitten!”

Everyone turned to where she was pointing. Theo, in his cutest tabby form, was perched on the window ledge. He
jumped
into the room and darted about, as if he was chasing imaginary mice.

“Here, sweetums!” cooed Miss Bleet, bending down. Theo rubbed round her ankles and purred.

“Now’s our chance,” hissed Max. “All eyes are on Theo, even The Basher’s!”

“Ready for synchronized bag switching?” asked Ben.

Max nodded. Ben reached under Barry’s chair and snatched up the Basher’s bag. Max put his own in its place. Then they both sat back and looked innocent.

“Tiddles!” Max called. Everyone stared at him in astonishment. “Er . . . I recognize the cat . . . He’s called Tiddles and he lives down my road,” Max explained with a shrug.

But Theo didn’t take his cue and jump out of the window. He was having too much fun. He was now sitting on Miss Bleet’s table, playing with her pencil.

“Tiddles!” said Max loudly.

Theo let go of the pencil but rolled over onto his back, looking adorable and knocking Miss Bleet’s papers to the floor.

“We won’t have time for the trick at this rate,” Ben muttered to Max.